On this site:
Clear, practical advice on preventing and treating diarrhoeal diseases.
Guidelines from medical authorities on diagnosis, treatment, symptoms,
causes and risk factors, tests, training tips, feedback from the field,
alternative medicine and much more for patients and health professionals.
News on developments in the control, management, treatment and prevention of
diarrhoeal diseases.
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"Diarrhea is the world’s most effective
weapon of mass destruction." —
Rose George, journalist and author of The Big Necessity: The
Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why it Matters, an eye-opening
report on the shocking realities of the world's sanitation crisis.
27 September, 2011 GAVI approves rotavirus vaccine
funding for 16 new countries, 12 in Africa
Until today, life-saving rotavirus vaccines were not accessible for most
children in Africa, the continent with a staggering burden of rotavirus
disease and where vaccines are desperately needed to prevent severe
rotavirus diarrhea and save children’s lives:
• Where nearly a quarter of a million children die of rotavirus disease each year.
• Where roughly 40% of children hospitalized for severe diarrhea have rotavirus.
• Where urgent care and treatment for severe rotavirus diarrhea is often limited or unavailable.
Now there is a new story of hope and promise to tell about Africa—a story of
a future where children who need the vaccine most will have a chance at a
healthy and happy life, free from the threat of severe rotavirus disease.
Today the GAVI Alliance approved rotavirus vaccine funding for 16 new
countries, 12 in Africa, including Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo DR,
Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Rwanda, and
Tanzania—and four other countries, including Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and
Yemen. On July 17, 2011, Sudan became the
first African country to introduce rotavirus vaccines with GAVI Alliance
funding—just two years after the
World Health Organization recommended all countries introduce the
vaccine into their national immunization programs. People have heard about
Sudan’s introduction and have seen the news
around the world that vaccines against rotavirus are saving lives in
countries where children have access to them. They eagerly await the
vaccine's arrival.
image: Countries with the greatest number of rotavirus-related deaths
Rotavirus remains a major killer of children under five years of age
worldwide, taking the lives of 453,000 children in 2008 according to the
latest estimates, published today in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.
This translates into the staggering fact that more than 1,200 young children
will die from rotavirus diarrhea each day. Rotavirus-related deaths
accounted for 37% of all diarrheal deaths and 5% of all deaths in children
under five years of age. One of every 260 children born each year will die
from rotavirus diarrhea by their fifth birthday.
Tragically,
approximately 95% of rotavirus deaths occurred in countries that are
eligible to receive GAVI-support to introduce rotavirus vaccines. Five
countries–India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and
Ethiopia–all GAVI-eligible, accounted for more than half of all rotavirus
deaths globally.
Introduction of effective and available rotavirus vaccines could
substantially affect worldwide deaths attributable to diarrhoea. Our new
estimates can be used to advocate for rotavirus vaccine introduction and to
monitor the effect of vaccination on mortality once introduced.
Diarrhoea causes dehydration. Children are more likely than adults to
die from diarrhoea because they become dehydrated more quickly. Diarrhoea is
also a major cause of child malnutrition.
2.2 million people in developing
countries, most of them children, die every year from diseases associated
with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, poor
hygiene and overcrowding. 90% are children under 5, mostly in developing
countries. Undernutrition is the underlying cause of a substantial
proportion of all child deaths. Infants who are fed only breastmilk during
the first 6 months seldom get diarrhoea. At six months, in addition to
breastmilk, complementary foods with increased feeding frequency and changes
in food consistency, quantity, and diversity as the child ages.
Families and communities are working together, with support from
governments, states, corporations and non-governmental organizations, to
prevent the conditions that cause diarrhoea and thereby rapidly reducing child mortality.
Causes of child deaths in low-income countries Source: WHO, World Health Statistics 2011
There is an 11-fold increase in the risk of infants dying from diarrhoea
when they are not exclusively breastfed in their first six months of life.
Malnutrition, often caused by inadequate infant feeding practices, can
result in a five-to-ten-fold increase in a child's risk of death from
diarrhea. By promoting and supporting good infant feeding practices at all
times, including during and after illness, we are working together with
several organizations to prevent malnutrition and reduce diarrheal disease.
With more resources and effective implementation of available health, water
and sanitation solutions, we can save millions of children right now. That
diarrhoea remains a leading cause of death among children around the world
exemplifies the urgency of reinvigorating efforts to improve child health
and human development.
PATH and the US Coalition for Child Survival are partnering on a Call to
Action urging international donors and policymakers, the private sector, and
national leaders to invest more funding and political will in solutions to
mitigate deaths and illnesses from diarrhoeal disease. Support from the
health, water and sanitation, development, and environmental sectors
underscores that success will take a coordinated and cross-sectoral effort
across these disciplines.
more >>
Poverty, Health, & Environment
Placing Environmental Health on Countries’ Development Agendas
Environmental risk factors play a role in more than 80 major diseases and
injuries around the world. Diarrhea, lower respiratory infections, various
forms of unintentional injuries, and malaria are largely the result of
environmental risk factors. These are precisely the diseases that most
affect the poor in the poorest countries. As the world’s climate changes,
these existing health impacts are expected to worsen, particularly for the
poor and in developing countries.
Global
Handwashing Day (GHD) was created by the Global Public-Private
Partnership for Handwashing in 2008 to:
• Foster and support a global culture of handwashing with soap.
• Shine a spotlight on the state of handwashing in every country.
• Raise awareness about the benefits of handwashing with soap.
Global Handwashing Day was originally created for children and schools, but
can be celebrated by anyone promoting handwashing with soap. Each year, over
200 million people are involved in celebrations in over 100 countries around
the world. Global Handwashing is endorsed by a wide array of governments,
international institutions, civil society organizations, NGOs, private
companies, and individuals.
Did you know?
Oral rehydration therapy and continued feeding is a
life-saving treatment, which only 39 per cent of children with diarrhoea
in developing countries receive. Limited data show little progress since
2000.
Zinc tablets are still largely unavailable in most developing
countries, although their effectiveness in reducing the severity and
duration of diarrhoea episodes is well known.
Immunization against rotavirus, which results in an estimated
40 per cent of hospital admissions due to diarrhoea among children under
five, is urgently needed worldwide, especially in Africa and Asia.
Safe water, adequate sanitation and proper hygiene are too
often forgotten foundations of good health. Handwashing with soap alone
could potentially reduce the number of diarrhoea cases by over 40 per
cent.
Breastfeeding is critical to both the prevention and
treatment of diarrhoea. Infants who are exclusively breastfed for the
first six months of life and continue to be breastfed until two years of
age and beyond develop fewer infections and have less severe illnesses,
including diarrhoea.
Vitamin A supplementation has been shown to significantly
reduce child deaths, mostly from diarrhoea and measles.
Prevent and Treat |
Treatment Plans
Dehydration caused by diarrhoea is one of the biggest single killers of
children in the modern world and diarrhoea itself is one of the major causes
of nutritional loss and poor growth. [more]
"The discovery that sodium
transport and glucose transport are coupled in the small intestine so that
glucose accelerates absorption of solute and water (is) potentially
the most important medical advance this century." The Lancet -
British Scientific Journal - 5th August, 1978 [more]
Home Made | Packaged
Most often, diarrhoea kills a child by dehydration, which means that too
much liquid has been drained out of the child's body. To replace the liquid
being lost it is essential to give the child extra drinks as soon as diarrhoea starts.
Oral
Rehydration Therapy (ORT) is the cheap, simple and effective way to
treat dehydration caused by diarrhoea. [more]
Facts |
Frequently Asked Questions |
HIV
During the first 6 months of life, infants should be exclusively breastfed.
This means that the healthy baby should receive breastmilk and no other
fluids, such as water, teas, juice, cereal drinks, animal milk or formula.
Exclusively breastfed babies are much less likely to get diarrhoea or to die
from it than are babies who are not breastfed or are partially breastfed. [more]
Q & A |
Technical FAQs
Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) has been the cornerstone of diarrheal disease
control since 1970s. Recently, the ORS formulation was revised by reducing
the sodium and glucose content. This new, low-osmolarity ORS, improves the
efficacy of ORS, reduces the need for unscheduled intravenous infusions,
lowers stool volume, and causes less vomiting compared with standard ORS. [more]
ORS and Zinc: Treatment of
diarrhoea is now more effective
Recent studies suggest that a 10- to 14-day therapy of zinc treatment can
considerably reduce the duration and severity of diarrhoeal episodes,
decrease stool output, and lessen the need for hospitalization. Zinc may
also prevent future diarrhoea episodes for up to three months. [more]
Key Facts
| Promise and Potential
Worldwide, almost every child will have at least one rotavirus infection
before he or she is five years old. The virus is so contagious and resilient
that providing clean water and promoting proper hygiene do not significantly
reduce incidence, which is nearly the same in industrialized and developing
countries. Additionally, because rotavirus usually causes profuse vomiting,
ORS/ORT is difficult to administer. [more]
Providing clean water for
drinking and food preparation, teaching children and adults to wash their
hands properly are some of the most important things governments and
families can do to protect health. These proven interventions have already
made a world of difference for millions and millions of people. [more]
Why
Is Breastfeeding So Important? Download
.pdf 17.5 mb.
Breastfeeding provides the perfect nutrition for your baby and provides many
health benefits for both mother and baby.
- Initiating breast feeding within the first hour and exclusive
breastfeeding can prevent under two mortality.
- Breastfeeding: Exclusive breastfeeding
- Colostrum - Gift of a protective cover from the mother
- We believe all mothers know how to feed their child. But do they?
- Myths and facts about breast milk
- Complimentary feeding
- Role of media in promoting proper young child feeding: Media should focus
on and promote measures that are required to be taken urgently to ensure the
survival of children
Despite substantial gains with effective interventions in
the 1980s and 1990s, severe dehydration due to diarrhea continues to
threaten too many children’s lives, particularly in the developing world.
Simple, available, and proven
tools promise dramatic reductions in diarrhea-related illness and deaths
worldwide. In addition to established interventions that include oral
rehydration therapy, exclusive breastfeeding, and improved hygiene, new
tools like zinc and vaccines bring new opportunities to re-invigorate
interest and catalyze investments in diarrheal disease control. >>
more
Place 6 level teaspoons of sugar and a half level teaspoon of salt
into one litre of clean drinking water
(or boiled water and then cooled) 1 litre = 5 cupfuls (each cup about 200 ml.)
Feed with a spoon
Be very careful to mix the correct amounts, as too much sugar can make the
diarrhoea worse, and too much salt can be extremely harmful to the child. If
the mixture is made a little too diluted no harm can be done and there is
very little loss of effectiveness.
Encourage the child to drink as much as possible.
A child under the age of two needs at least a quarter to a half of a large
cup of the ORS drink after each watery stool.
A child aged two or older needs at least a half to a whole large cup of the
ORS drink after each watery stool.
Diarrhoea usually stops in three or four days. The real danger is the loss
of liquid and nutrients from the child's body, which can cause dehydration
and malnutrition.
HETV works within the existing health framework of
developing countries to establish and promote health educational programs
that will provide rapid and long-term capacity-building to improve health
and quality of life, and will give mothers and communities more control over
their health status. Partnered with national and state governments, we work
to assist in educating mothers and children, teachers and students, doctors
and village health workers, and a variety of community leaders, in the
targeted areas of health, water, hygiene, and sanitation.
Maharashtra Plan 2005-2010 |
Programmes
Video |
10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding |
Scientific Overview |
Recommendations & Vision |
Reviews
UNICEF, WHO and WABA along with the scientific community strongly recommend
initiating breastfeeding within half an hour of birth. Evidence shows that
early initiation can prevent 22% of all deaths among babies below one month
in developing countries. Every newborn, when placed on the mother’s abdomen,
has ability to find its mother’s breast all on its own and to decide when to
take the first breastfeed. This is known as the ‘Breast Crawl’. [more]
The fight against persistent underweight, stunting and wasting among
children in developing countries is based on appropriate maternal, infant
and young child feeding practices including micronutrient deficiencies
prevention and control. However, wasted children are those at immediate risk
of dying and will need timely detection and correct management for their survival.
More than half of all child deaths are associated with malnutrition, which
weakens the body's resistance to illness. Poor diet, frequent illness, and
inadequate or inattentive care of young children can lead to malnutrition.
Of the 6.6 million deaths among children aged 28 days to five years:
1.7 million (26%) are caused by diarrhoea. 1 million (61%) of these deaths
are due to the presence of undernutrition.
What is needed: Enough food and the right kinds of food, Nutritional needs
of girls and women, Nutritional needs of young children, Protecting children
from infections, Quality care when children fall ill, prevention of
Micronutrient deficiencies.
Diarrhoea is the second leading cause of death among
children under five globally. Nearly one in five child deaths – about 1.5
million each year – is due to diarrhoea. It kills more young children than
AIDS, malaria and measles combined. Today, only 39 per cent of children with
diarrhoea in developing countries receive the recommended treatment, and
limited trend data suggest that there has been little progress since 2000.
The objective of this WHO/UNICEF report is to focus attention on the
prevention and management of diarrhoeal diseases as central to improving
child survival. It examines the latest available information on the burden
and distribution of childhood diarrhoea. It also analyses how well countries
are doing in making available key interventions proven to reduce its toll.
Most importantly, it lays out a new strategy for diarrhoea control, one that
is based on interventions drawn from different sectors that have
demonstrated potential to save children's lives. It sets out a 7-point plan
that includes a treatment package to reduce childhood diarrhoea deaths, as
well as a prevention package to make a lasting reduction in the diarrhoea
burden in the medium to long term.
The report highlights the proven diarrhoeal disease prevention and treatment
solutions already available today. Many children in the developing world
cannot access urgent medical care for severe illnesses, making prevention
methods—including improved hygiene, sanitation, safe drinking water,
exclusive breastfeeding, and vaccines preventing rotavirus—critical
components of diarrhoeal disease control. When diarrhoea occurs, it can be
effectively treated with simple solutions, including oral rehydration
therapy/oral rehydration solution, zinc and other micronutrients, and
continued feeding.
Read more
Babies who are breastfed are generally healthier and achieve optimal
growth and development compared to those who are fed formula milk. If the
vast majority of babies were exclusively fed breastmilk in their first six
months of life – meaning only breastmilk and no other liquids or solids, not
even water – it is estimated that the lives of at least 1.2 million
children would be saved every year. If children continue to be breastfed
up to two years and beyond, the health and development of millions of
children would be greatly improved.more >>
Can One Pill Tame the Illness No One Wants to Talk About?
It is hard to grasp the impact diarrhea has on people's
lives across Africa and Asia. The disease kills more children than either
malaria or AIDS, stunts growth, and forces millions — adults and children
alike — to spend weeks at a time off work or school, which hits both a
country's economy and its citizens' chances of a better future.
Taming a Devastating Illness with a Simple PillSee pictures
of of how zinc is saving lives in Mali.
Zinc tablets help African communities fight diarrhea, a scourge that claims
the lives of an astonishing 1.6 million children every year
Diarrhea kills more young children
around the world than malaria, AIDS and TB combined. Yet a simple and
inexpensive treatment can prevent many of those deaths. Why isn't it more
widely used?
A Simple Solution
In the West, it's an inconvenience, but, in the developing world, it can be
a death sentence. It kills millions of children every year, yet the
treatment is a simple mixture of salt, sugar and water. So why isn't more
being done to fight diarrhea?
Surviving Diarrhea
Most deaths from diarrhea can be prevented by giving the victim oral
rehydration. A guide to how it works
Authors: Gerlin, Andrea, Number of pages: 8, Publication date: 2006,
Languages: English
Overview
In this article, published in Time Magazine in October 2006, the author
Andrea Gerlin, investigates the reasons why diarrhoea still kills 1.9
million children every year, and why Oral Rehydration Solution is not more
widely used throughout the world.
ColaLife is working to help multi-nationals leverage their distribution
muscle to save children's lives in developing countries. ColaLife wants to
work with multinational corporations, such as Coca-Cola to help them use
their distribution channels (which are amazing in developing countries) to
distribute 'social products' such as oral rehydration salts to the people
that need them desperately.
ColaLife is working to get Coca-Cola to open up its distribution channels in
developing countries to carry 'social products' such as oral rehydration
salts, zinc supplements, SODIS water disinfection bags, or whatever else is
required in a particular locality to save lives, particularly children's
lives.
You can buy a Coca-Cola virtually anywhere in developing countries but in
these same places 1 in 5 children die before their 5th birthday from simple
preventable cause like dehydration from diarrhoea.
more >>
Let’s Talk About It Diarrhea is the second
leading killer of children around the world
Dirty drinking water,
poor sanitation, and rotavirus infection can lead to diarrhea, which is the
second leading killer of children around the world. If we talk about
diarrhea, we can defeat it. Learn how you can help! Watch the video and visit
www.defeatdd.org for more information.
The citizens of Haiti are currently dealing with devastation and suffering
that few of us can even imagine.
The 7.0-magnitude earthquake near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 12,
2010, has devastated the city and surrounding areas. The earthquake has
reduced large parts of the the country's capitol to rubble and devastated
their already poor infrastructure making the task of delivering aid extremely difficult.
Official estimates from the region say that approximately 3 million people —
one third of the population of Haiti — have been affected by this
disaster and that an estimated 200,000 people may have died as a result of
the earthquake. Port-au-Prince's 3 largest medical centers have been devastated.
As medical relief personnel pour in, use
Medscape's Alert Center to find out what you can do to help, learn how
the situation is progressing, and discuss the situation with your
colleagues.
Seeking information about relatives in Haiti: +1 (888) 407-4747
The proportion of under-nourished children under five years of age
declined from 27% in 1990 to 20% in 2005.
Some 27% fewer children died before their fifth birthday in 2007
than in 1990.
Maternal mortality has barely changed since 1990.
One third of 9.7 million people in developing countries who need
treatment for HIV/AIDS were receiving it in 2007.
MDG target for reducing the incidence of tuberculosis was met
globally in 2004.
27 countries reported a reduction of up to 50% in the number of
malaria cases between 1990 and 2006.
The number of people with access to safe drinking-water rose from
4.1 billion in 1990 to 5.7 billion in 2006. About 1.1 billion people in
developing regions gained access to improved sanitation in the same
period.
The scientific rationale for ORT, and for continued
feeding during diarrhoea, has been established beyond doubt. The challenge
now is to place that knowledge in the hands of parents so that they
themselves can protect their children against the dehydration and
malnutrition caused by childhood's most common disease.
A Simple
Solution A Programme to curb the effects of diarrhoea / diarrhea in
infants and young children
198 slides
Facts for Life
The handbook, Facts for Life, provides vital messages and
information for mothers, fathers, other family members and caregivers and
communities to use in changing behaviours and practices that can save and
protect the lives of children and help them grow and develop to their full potential.
Water Facts
Waterborne diseases (the consequence of a combination of lack of clean water
supply and inadequate sanitation) cost the Indian economy 73 million working days a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some of the more commonly asked questions about Diarrhoea, Dehydration, Oral
Rehydration Salts - Home Prepared and Packets, and Oral Rehydration Therapy.
All information on Rehydration Project's web
site is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice,
diagnoses, and treatment, kindly consult your doctor.
Dehydration
Rehydration
Oral
Rehydration Solutions
Breastfeeding
Low-Osmolarity ORS
Zinc
Supplementation
Rotavirus
Disease & Vaccines
Hygiene,
Hand-washing and Clean Water
Why
Is Breastfeeding So Important?
Health
Education to Villages
Can
Coca-Cola save children's lives?
Health Professionals
